This invention relates to digital transmitter cover sheets. Such systems of this type, generally, employ a cover sheet that authenticates the user of the digital transmitter, provides information regarding the auto-routing transmittal of the document to the desired recipient, and provides information regarding any post-processing of the document.
Many peripherals to computer networks include a scanner component. One example of such a peripheral is an xe2x80x9cAll-in-onexe2x80x9d, also known as a multi-functional product (MFP). A MFP has the capability to perform the multiple functions of scanning hardcopy documents, copying, printing or the like. Another example is a digital network copier that scans in documents from an automatic document feeder (ADF), does high volume copying, and has the capabilities of binding, collating, folding, stacking, stapling, stitching, edge-trimming, paginating, and printing on substrates of varied composition. Each of these peripherals, when in communication with an interconnecting network, can also be described as being a digital transmitter device.
The digital transmitter device is an appliance that has an input device, such as a keyboard, a display, and a scanner. The digital transmitter device need not have a printing device. It should be noted that a digital camera is a type of digital transmitter device, but in comparison to the foregoing, it is not a useful for handling documents and, typically, lacks the resolution and ability to rapidly and repetitively transfer information after scanning to a repository.
In an exemplary digital transmitting operation, a hardcopy of the document or other physical object can be presented to the scanner portion of a digital transmitter device. After scanning, a digital transmitter device transforms the scanned image into a digital representation that is then saved in a digital format, such as in a bitmap data format or in a Portable Document Format (PDF). Electronic messaging can be used to send an electronic mail (e-mail) from the digital transmitter device with an attachment of the digitized representation in the data format. The e-mail can be sent to recipients over an interconnecting network, where the recipients have an e-mail address that the user manually enters at the digital transmitter device or that a specific user specifies using a predefined list of recipient e-mail addresses that can be stored in the memory of the digital transmitter device.
Prior to the present invention, as set forth in general terms above and more specifically below, it is known in the facsimile telecommunication art, to employ a sender-based facsimile store and forward facility. Exemplary of such prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,231 (""231) to M. C. Bloomfield, entitled xe2x80x9cSender-based Facsimile Store and Forward Facility.xe2x80x9d The ""231 reference teaches the generation of a cleaned-up, printed version of a handwritten facsimile cover sheet. The printed version, along with the document to be transmitted, is scanned by the facsimile device to determine a destination of the document. The facsimile device stores the scanned information and keeps trying the contact number of the recipient until the facsimile device gets through to the destination of the recipient. While this system is able to forward the document to the desired recipient, the handwritten cover sheet must first be cleaned up before the document can be forwarded. Also, this system does not provide for any authentication of the user. Finally, this system does not provide for any post-processing of the document, i.e., programming how the work flow system handles this document. Therefore, a more advantageous system, then, will be provided if the cover sheet could be utilized in a variety of media handling devices, provided authentication of the user, avoided the use of a cleaned up cover sheet, and provided information regarding any post-processing of the document.
It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the art for a manually prepared cover sheet that is capable of being utilized in a variety of media handling devices, and which provides authentication of the user, but which at the same time provides information regarding any post-processing of the document. It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill this and other needs in the art in a manner more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.
Generally speaking, this invention fulfills these needs by providing a method for using a digital transmitting device to authenticate a user, transmit a document, and carry-out post-processing instructions, wherein the method is comprised of the steps of: entering information on an actual user personalized cover sheet regarding a destination and post-processing instructions, if any, of a document to be transmitted by a digital transmitting device; scanning the cover sheet and the document by the digital transmitting device; authenticating a user by the digital transmitting device; transmitting the document to a recipient; and carrying out the post-processing instructions.
In certain preferred embodiments, the entering information step is further comprised of the steps of: preparing/entering the user identification for later authentication of the user; embedding codes/tags in the cover sheet that help to identify/authenticate the user; manually entering information onto the cover sheet regarding the contact information of the recipient; and manually entering instructions onto the cover sheet regarding any post-processing of the document. Also, the cover sheet can be any durable media that is capable of being marked upon by the user. It is to be understood that the cover sheet can also be constructed so as to be reusable. Also, the post-processing instructions can be, but are not limited to, forwarding the document to a web page, forwarding the document to a optical character recognition (OCR) application, forwarding the document to an archival application, binding, collating, folding, stacking, stapling, stitching, edge-trimming, paginating, printing on substrates of varied composition further image transforms, re-transmission after transform, file format translations or the like. Also, the codes/tags can be, but are not limited to, bar codes, hand-written signatures, or the like. Also, the contact information of the recipient can be, but is not limited to, e-mail address of the recipient, network address of the recipient, the telephone number of the recipient or the like. Also, the user authentication step comprises the step of comparing the actual cover sheet scanned by the digital transmitting device with the previously stored cover sheet data for that user. One other possible use of the authentication step is to download customized settings to the transmitter device based on defaults set up by a particular user i.e., file format preferences, default destinations, default processing steps, etc. Finally, the step of carrying out the post-processing instructions is further comprised of the step of forwarding the document to another location/device for further processing, such as a Web site or a server running an OCR or an archival application.
In another further preferred embodiment, a manually prepared, user personalized digital transmitting device cover sheet is utilized that provides authentication of the user, enables a document to be forwarded to a desired recipient, and provides instructions regarding any post-processing of the document.
The preferred cover sheet, according to this invention, offers the following advantages: ability to be used in a variety of digital transmitting devices; authentication of the user; ability to provide post-processing instructions of the document; ability to provide document recipient information; ability to allow the user to manually prepare the cover sheet; increased security; ease-of-use; and excellent economy. In fact, in many of the preferred embodiments, these factors of ability to be used in a variety of digital transmitting devices, authentication of the user, ability to provide post-processing instructions of the document, ability to allow the user to manually prepare the cover sheet, increased security, and ease-of-use are optimized to an extent that is considerably higher than heretofore achieved in prior, known cover sheets.
The above and other features of the present invention, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are best understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawing FIGURES, wherein like characters represent like parts throughout the several views and in which: